Dive Brief:

• Red Lobster is promoting its takeout service as an option for date nights with meals for two as well as digital content to help set the mood, according to a press release.
• The restaurant chain has created a series of 10 custom Zoom backgrounds to add some ambience, including a background that looks like the inside of a Red Lobster, one that shows a lobster tank and another of the sun setting over the ocean. Red Lobster also created a Spotify playlist to serve as mood music for date night.​
• For guests dining together, Red Lobster has three Date Night Deals to choose from which include an appetizer, entrée, side dish and dessert for $59.99. Orders are available for curbside pickup or delivery. ​​

Dive Insight:

Red Lobster is looking to drive sales during COVID-19 lockdowns by offering takeout menus and virtual ambience for consumers looking to recreate the experience of going to a restaurant for a date. It is the latest example of how brands are pivoting their marketing during the current health crisis to focus on building community and togetherness at a time when consumers aren't leaving their homes.

Restaurants have been hard hit by mandated closures during the current health crisis and the timeline for when they can reopen for in-person service is uncertain as shelter in place orders are maintained in many states across the nation. During coronavirus lockdowns, video conferencing app Zoom has seen its use soar as consumers try to keep in touch with the outside world. By creating its own background for Zoom, the restaurant aims to engage consumers who are spending time on the platform, while its playlist on Spotify taps into increased streaming, which brands like KFC were leveraging even before the pandemic started. ​

While Zoom has faced some concern over its privacy practices, brands are still gravitating to the platform. Other brands have developed custom Zoom backgrounds to help consumers add some color to their video meetings. For instance, Behr Paint developed Behr Your Background, a new library stylish room designs that consumers can use to spruce up their video conferencing look.

Red Lobster's digital content efforts can help engage consumers and make them feel more relaxed during the health crisis, something that could build brand loyalty longer term while helping the restaurant chain weather the storm by encouraging consumers to order take out.